Ban for ‘unauthorised’ public access barrister

A barrister has been suspended from public access work for a year after acting as a public access barrister despite not being registered.

According to a finding by the Bar Tribunal and Adjudication Service (BTAS) Nesa Ostadsaffar, called in 2011, accepted instructions from a client in January last year despite not having completed public access training or being registered with the Bar Council as a public access barrister.

Ostadsaffar, of Temple Court Chambers, has been prohibited from accepting public access for clients for 12 months.

The finding, published on 12 July, is open to appeal.

It is the second time in a month that a public access barrister has been handed a suspension. Earlier this month Mark William Smith was suspended for a month for failing to provide a competent standard of work to a client. The Bar Standards Board said that, between October 2013 and July 2015, Smith failed to advise a client properly on the implications of bringing a private criminal prosecution, including the fact that a costs order could be made against his client.

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